[STORY] BEHIND CHURCH DOORS (Episode 52)

Episode 52.

Six months later
“You will always Harvest what you plant.” – Galatians 6:7
ZYAIR

Friday, Pacey and I arrive at the hospital and she pulls up in front of the main entrance.
“I will be back shortly,” I get out of the car and head towards the doctor’s office.
“Hey Zyair! How are you?” Dr. Collins greets. He called me an hour ago informing me that the DNA test results were out.
Tia gave birth two months ago to a baby boy and the minute I looked at him, I fell in love but I didn’t want to get too attached knowing he might not be mine. After hesitating for some time, we finally conducted a paternity test two weeks ago. I told her I would collect the results and we would open them together so here I am ready to get the results so we can get this over and done with.
“Hey Doctor, I am okay. How are you?”
“I am fine too, please take a seat.”
“Thank you,” I say, sitting across from him.
Dr. Collins pulls out two manila envelopes and hands them to me,” One is for Tia.”
“Thank you.”

For a few minutes I sit in the doctor’s office staring at the envelopes in my hand. Lord knows I would give anything for Ivan to be mine. The last couple of months have been emotionally draining for me, Tia and I are officially divorced, the only thing that kept me sane was the thought of having something I would forever call mine- a child for example.
“You are okay?” The doctor asks.
“I am fine, thank you, I will get going now.”
“Alright, take care.”
I leave the doctor’s office, walk out of the hospital, into the parking lot and get into the car. Without saying anything to me, Pacey starts the car and aside from the soft music playing on the radio, the ride is quiet.
“You want me to wait for you?” She asks when she pulls up in front of Tia’s house.
“You can do that?”
“Yes.”
“Don’t you think you have done enough for me already? I don’t want to trouble you.”
“What are friends for?”
I roll my eyes at her and she smiles, Pacey has been there for me throughout the divorce process, I don’t know what I would have done without her. There were days when I thought I couldn’t go on because the pain of a broken marriage was unbearable but she was always there to listen without judgment and to make sure I didn’t give up.
“Stop staring,” she hits my arm.
“Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For everything, you are amazing.”
“You are welcome Zyair. Now go in there and find out if Ivan is yours. I will be right here when you are done, take all the time you need.”
“Okay.”
Stepping out of the car, I walk down the path to the front door and knock, a minute later, Tia opens the door while carrying Ivan in her arms.
“Hey,” she steps aside and lets me in.
“Hey,” I walk in and close the door behind my back before I follow her into the living room which looks like a mess.
“Don’t mind the mess, I haven’t been able to get much done around the house today. Ivan has been fussy, I didn’t even sleep much last night.”
“I can tell by the bugs around your eyes. Let me hold him,” I say before I put the envelopes on the table. Then she hands him to me.
“Hey there, how are you?” He giggles.
“Look at him giggling as if he hasn’t been crying all morning.”
“I guess he likes me more.”
She laughs before she picks up everything on the floor and tides up the living room a bit.
“Do you mind holding him until I take a bath?”
“No I don’t.”
“Okay, his milk is in the kitchen.”
“Sure.”
I spend the next couple of minutes singing to Ivan until he finally falls asleep then I tuck him in and wait for Tia. Staring at Ivan, I feel like a total nervous wreck. My heart is beating so fast. I love this boy so much and I have created a special bond with him, one I am not ready to lose.

“Hey,” Tia says when she emerges a few minutes later, she looks more relaxed and refreshed than she did when I walked in.
“He is asleep.”
“Great,” we walk back into the living room.
“The DNA test results,” I say pointing at the envelopes on the table.
“Should I open them or…”
“Please open them,” I say, cutting her off. I don’t think I have enough strength to do that at the moment. Tia picks up one envelope and tears it open with flair before drawing out the folded piece of paper inside.
“Can I say something before I read what’s in here?” She asks.
“Sure.”
“Zyair I know I have said this a number of times but I will say it again. I am really sorry for what I did to you, I wish things had turned out differently for us. I will forevermore regret hurting you and breaking us apart. You are an amazing man and I appreciate the fact that you have been there throughout the pregnancy even when you knew Ivan might not be yours. I want you to know that you will always be Ivan’s father no matter what this piece of paper says.”
“Thank you, can we get this over and done with already,” I say, feeling sick to my stomach.

Unfolding the paper, she silently reads and from the look on her face I know Ivan isn’t mine but still I ask, “what does it say?”
Tia closes her eyes and lets out a breath before handing the letter over to me.
“I am sorry,” she says.
“He is not yours.
Feeling my heart break, I sit down.
“I am sorry,” she says over and over again. ‘”I am sorry,” the tears begin to fall from my eyes. When she looks at me she starts crying as well. I pull her to me and hold her, for a couple of minutes we just soothe each other.
“What if we don’t tell anyone about this?” I ask when I manage to calm down.
“What do you mean?”
“No one has to know that he isn’t biologically mine. Kingsely is in prison and will never be out. That’s not the kind of father that Ivan needs, his birth certificate already mentions me as his father, how about we keep it that way?”
“You want to continue being his father?”
“Yes, I want to be in his life and..”
“You think that’s a good idea?”
“Yes it is, what do you say?”
“Yes. Yes.”
“But this doesn’t mean we will get back. I will just be in the child’s life and not yours.”
“I understand Zyair.”
“In the meantime I will get this and keep them away where no one will ever find them,” I get the envelopes and put them in my pocket.
“Thank you for doing this. Ivan is lucky to have you as his father.”
“Thank you..I will get going now. I will come and check up on Ivan later.”
“Okay and thank you for putting him to sleep.”
“Don’t mention it.”
When I get back into the car, Pacey looks at me and asks,” So?”
“He is mine,” I excitedly say. I know she deserves to know the truth but I can’t trust anyone with this kind of information.
“Congratulations,” she says.
“Thank you.”
“Do you want us to go and celebrate?”
“Ivan isn’t feeling too well. I will have to come back here later to bring him medicine and help Tia baby sit. How about we have dinner tomorrow night just you and I?”
“Yes. That’s fine.”
“Okay.”
*
TIA

Watching through the window as Pacey’s car drives away, I feel it, the tug at my heart.
The guilt over destroying my marriage and losing a good man. The last couple of months have been a learning process for me. Zyair and I officially got divorced a few months back and I must say the divorce was painful.

It took me a while to get my senses back after Kingsely was arrested but when his wife testified against him in court and explained that her husband was indeed a cultist who used charms to lure women and brainwash them, it was like something fell off my eyes and I was able to think clearly.

It was then I realized that I didn’t even love Kingsely, it was just the money and the life he offered me that I had been after and perhaps he has used something on me too to be that attracted to him.

And also this whole drama helped me realize who my real friends and family are. Can you imagine Sanna washed her hands off me and said we couldn’t be friends anymore. Join our WhatsApp and telegram page for more stories through Ishmael on +233544142683. Most of my family members called me names and told me to stay away from them. My life is currently just a mess and I have no one else to blame but me. I can’t even freely walk in the streets without people pointing fingers at me. Social media sites too still post my photos and write funny stories about me. Some of my photos have been turned into memes.

I don’t know if my country- people will ever move past this story or maybe like Iris, each time I post something they will always refer back to my past. The only thing that keeps me sane is Ivan and I am just glad that Zyair will be his father and not Kingsley.
*
PASTOR RUTH

The prison guard opens the cell door “Ruth, you have a visitor,” he says. I rise to my feet and follow him, he leads me through a series of locked doors and unlocks the door to the visitation room. My youngest daughter Sophia is sitting at the far end of the room, I walk towards her slowly wondering what made her come here today. Sophia told me and her father she wanted nothing to do with us, the last I saw of her was when she testified in court and during the sentencing. Unlike her sister’s, this is the first time she is here.
“Hey mummy,” she says when I sit down on the other side of her.
“Hey.”
“I brought you some things,” she puts a bag on the table. “I don’t know if I should ask how you are doing because I can tell that you have lost a lot of weight.”
I smile,” I am happy to see you child.”
“I am happy to see you too.”
“How is school?”
“School is amazing. I cleared and progressed into the next semester.”
“I am happy for you.”
“How are you?”
“I am holding on.”
“I would be lying if I said I am sorry for exposing you, Kingsley and the church.”
“You did the right thing. You opened my eyes.” Naijatea Stories.
“I am proud you stood up to him in court and exposed him even further now the world knows what kind of a monster he is.”
“Can you ever forgive me for everything?”
“Yes ma, I forgive you.”
“I filed for divorce. The lawyer will present the papers to your father, if everything goes well, the divorce will be finalized soon.”
“I am happy for you. You deserve better.”
“I should have left when I had the chance to.”
“It’s never too late to start afresh.”
“To new beginnings?”
“Yes to new beginnings,” she smiles.
“Time up,” the guard says.
“You take care of yourself, child.”
“I will and I will visit you as often as I can. I will keep you updated on everything.”
“I love you.”
“I love you too.”
Grabbing the bag, I am led back to my cell. I am happy that Sophia came to visit and I am happier that she has forgiven me.

When I got arrested alongside Kingsely and some of the pastor’s at church, I knew I had to come clean and expose my husband for who he was. And unlike everyone else I pleaded guilty and told the court everything I knew. Because of that I got a lighter sentence. I will only be here for seven years. My lawyer says there’s a possibility of me being released before the 7 years elapses for good behavior. So he will do his best to make sure I am considered for the presidential pardon in future.

Pastor G and the others got ten years each with hard labor, they wasted the courts time by pleading not guilty plus they also produced fake witnesses.

Prison is no child’s play, there’s so much that happens, it’s been hard for me but I am working on being a better person, I am trying to get back to God and create a clean relationship with him. I want to be a better mother and woman by the time I am out of here.

*
BISHOP KINGSLEY

“What the hell is this?” I ask Ruth’s lawyer as I stare at the document he has presented me.
“Your wife has filed for divorce.”
I laugh,” oh she finally wants out?”
“Yes, you need to sign these papers.”
“And if I don’t?”
“You have to.”
Grabbing the papers, I tear them to pieces. “Tell Ruth I am not granting her the divorce,” I stand up and signal for the guard to take me back to my cell. “And make this the last time you come here,” I say before the guard escorts me back to my cell.

Who does Ruth think she is? After destroying my life she thinks she can walk out of it freely? I was sentenced to life imprisonment without possibility of parole because of her stupidity. At the last minute, Ruth turned against me and exposed all my secrets. In the end not even the other churches I was partnering with wanted anything to do with me. My spiritual father too distanced himself from me because he was afraid of being entangled in the issue.

Because of Ruth, I have been reduced to nothing. Even my powers were taken away from me. Life behind bars is hard, aside from the beatings, tortur and humliations, I have been defined as an object of sexual abuse. At night when the guards are out of sight, the prisoners usually let me out of bed and take turns raping me. That’s the most painful thing I have to endure almost every night and I can’t even report them because they threaten to kill me.
To Be Continued…. . . . .

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